System and method for providing data and application continuity in a computer system

ABSTRACT

A system and method for providing or maintaining data and application continuity in a computer system. According to an embodiment, the system comprises a communication interface for a client system, a network layer for receiving data from the client system, a hardware infrastructure for creating instances of the client system for replicating data, and an applications module for executing one or more applications on the replicated data. According to a further aspect, the system includes a portal interface configured for providing a remote user with control, audit and other functions associated with the user&#39;s system configuration.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present application relates to computer systems, and more particularly to a system and methods for maintaining data and/or application continuity in a computer system for a business or enterprise.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The uptime of the computer systems and data infrastructure for a business is critical to the operation of the enterprise. Equally or even more important is the recovery from a crash or system interruption. It has been estimated that at least 50% of a company's intellectual property resides in it email system.

Accordingly, there remains a need for improvements in the art for maintaining business data continuity.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method and/or system for maintaining data and/or application continuity in a computer system for a business or enterprise.

According to an aspect, the present invention provides a system for providing data continuity for one or more client systems, the system comprises: a communication interface configured to receive data from the one or more client systems; a security infrastructure configured to authorize communication with the one or more the client systems; a hardware infrastructure comprising a replication engine configured to create one or more virtual servers, and the one or more virtual servers being configured for storing at least some of the data received from the one or more client systems; and an applications module configured to run one or more application programs on some of the data received from one of the client systems, and the one or more application programs corresponding to application programs on the client system.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, embodiments of the apparatus and methods described herein, and how they may be carried into effect, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows in schematic form a system for maintaining business data continuity according to an embodiment of the present invention and in the context of an exemplary operating environment;

FIG. 2 shows in block diagram form an exemplary client system for the data continuity system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows in block diagram form an Internet interface for the data continuity system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows in block diagram form a security infrastructure for the data continuity system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows in block diagram form an internal network structure for the data continuity system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows in block diagram form a hardware virtualization structure for the data continuity system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 7 shows in block diagram form a control platform for the data continuity system of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Like reference numerals indicate like or corresponding elements in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, which shows a system 100 according to an embodiment to the present invention and in the context of an exemplary operating environment comprising a plurality of client systems, with one client system being depicted in FIG. 1 and indicated generally by reference 10. In the context of the present description, the system 100 comprises a system for configuring, storing and delivering data (e.g. business data), and a control platform for maintaining and managing the data and/or applications for providing business data continuity, as will be described in more detail below. In the present description, the system 100 is referred to as a business data and application continuity system (and method), or in the alternative, a data continuity system 100.

The data continuity system 100 comprises a networking layer or infrastructure 120, a hardware layer or infrastructure 140, a software layer or infrastructure 160, an application module or components 180, and an archive components or module 190. The exemplary client system 10 comprises client workstations 12, one or more servers 14, and a network structure 16. The functionality and operation of the data continuity system 100 is described in more detail below.

The networking layer 120 includes a network communication interface indicated generally by reference 130. The network communication interface 130 is configured to provide communication with the client system 10 via the Internet 20 and/or via a virtual private network (VPN) or wide area network (WAN) communication pathway or structure 30. The networking layer 120 and network communication interface 130 are described in more detail more.

As shown in FIG. 1, the data continuity system 100 includes a portal indicated by reference 170. The portal 170 provides an interface to the Internet 20 and provides users, i.e. subscribers or clients, access to certain applications and tools in the software layer 160. The data continuity system 100 also includes an internal network indicated by reference 150, which is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5. According to an embodiment, the internal network 150 comprises an infrastructure for providing/defining a plurality of private client or production networks. As will be described in more detail below, the internal network infrastructure 150 is used to configure a client private (“production”) network for each client of the system 100.

Reference is next made to FIG. 2, which shows the client system 10 in further detail. As described above, the client system 10 comprises one or more client workstations 210, client servers 220, and a client network 230. The client workstations comprise desktop computer systems, e.g. Windows XP workstations, which are resident on the client network, 230. The client server 220 comprises one or more servers, including, for example, a Mail server such as Microsoft Exchange™ system, Database servers, such as MS SQL™ servers, an Active Directory server(s), an Application server(s) such as MS GreatPlains™ server(s), and/or a File server(s), such as a MS Server 2003™ server(s). The client network 230 is configured to provide a network configuration for the client workstations 210 and the client servers 220 via an Internet connection (i.e. a standard offering Internet Service Provider or ISP) and/or router device connecting the Internet 20 to a local area network (LAN).

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the client servers 220 includes a replication agent or engine according to an embodiment of the invention and indicated generally by reference 222. According to an embodiment, the replication engine 222 runs as a service under the operating system for the server 220 and is configured to capture stored data and transfer the captured data to replication servers running in the business data continuity system 100 as described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 8. According to an embodiment, the replication engine 220 is interchangeable with multiple forms of software replication engines. According to an embodiment, the replication engine 220 is configured to work with multiple application formats such as Mail, Database, Application and File systems from various vendors such as Microsoft and Oracle. Commonly referenced as “Client servers”, these systems can be either physical or virtualized systems on the network.

In the context of the present description, the client workstations 210 are configured for information (data) creation and retrieval. According to another aspect, the client workstations 210 are configured to access the portal 170 (FIG. 1) for the data continuity system 100. In known manner, the client workstations 210 may be configured with Microsoft Windows XP™, Linux™, Macintosh™ and other operating systems.

According to an embodiment, the client network 230 comprises a combination of networking devices that are configured to provide an infrastructure layer to the client network 230 and also an interface or gateway to the networking layer 120 (FIG. 1) of the data continuity system 100. The networking devices comprise “routers, modems or access devices” and are configured/connected in known manner to provide the Internet connectivity and network communication capability between the client workstations 210 and the client server 230 devices and the data continuity system 100. According to an embodiment, direct connectivity between the client system 10 (FIG. 1) and the data continuity system 100 is provided by a standard WAN VPN capable router as indicated by reference 32 in FIG. 1.

Reference is next made to FIG. 3. The Internet in known manner comprises interconnected networks which span the globe and provide access to the users connected to them with services and information available both on public servers as well as private servers. In the context of the present description, the Internet configured communication interface 130 (FIG. 1) provides the capability for the client system 10 (FIG. 1) and other remote clients and/or servers to access and transfer data directly into the data continuity system 100, as will be described in more detail below.

According to an embodiment and as shown in FIG. 1, the client workstations 12 are configured to connect remotely to the business continuity data system 100 through the Internet 20, as opposed through the client network 16, i.e. the WAN 30 and the VPN router 32. According to another aspect, the Internet 20 provides access to an Internet user 40 (FIG. 1), i.e. a remote user, or a user without a directly connected system to the client network 16, who wishes to view or access the information hosted on the client server(s) 14.

Reference is made back to FIG. 3. According to another aspect, the Internet 20 provides access to public servers, i.e. servers on the Internet which are trying to exchange information with the client servers 14 (FIG. 1) in some specified format. This typically takes the form of email, database queries or website searches. An email server comprises a typical example of such a server. According to another embodiment, the communication interface 130 (FIG. 1) is configured to send and receive information in multiple formats with external and publicly hosted systems such as email servers, websites and database systems, as indicated by reference 50 in FIG. 1 and the reference 310 in FIG. 3. For example, such systems typically comprise desktop machines, notebook computers and/or mobile wireless communication devices or PDA's, that are configured to access data on the client servers 14 through the Internet 20. According to this aspect, servers coupled to the Internet are capable of sending and receiving communications in a wide variety of formats to the hosted servers and systems associated with the data continuity system 100, as represented by reference 320 in FIG. 3.

According to another aspect, the data continuity system 100 includes a portal indicated by reference 170 in FIG. 1. The portal 170 is configured as a public portal or interface to provide publicly available access, i.e. via the Internet 20, to certain private control and/or setup functions in the data continuity system 100, as will be described in more detail below. According to an embodiment, the portal 170 comprises a secured website, having a secured website page available on the Internet, for example, with URL http://www.geminare.com. As will be described in more detail below, the portal 170 and secured webpage mechanism provides access to authorized users and the ability to manage and control all their systems from any publicly available system 40 (FIG. 1), as will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 7.

Reference is next made to FIG. 4, which shows an embodiment of a security infrastructure 400. The security infrastructure 400 is configured in the networking layer 120 (FIG. 1) and provides security functions including, inbound Internet access, firewalling, security, remote access, spam prevention and virus filtering control systems for the business data continuity system 100 (FIG. 1). According to an embodiment, the security infrastructure 400 comprises a public network layer 410, a security layer infrastructure 420, and an authentication infrastructure 430. According to an embodiment, the public network layer 410 is implemented or configured using Cisco™ brand or equivalent hardware based router devices. The security layer infrastructure 420 is implemented or configured using a Cisco™ brand or equivalent hardware based Intrusion Detection, Spam Filtering and Virus Control devices. According to an embodiment, the authentication infrastructure 430 is implemented or configured using a Cisco™ or equivalent hardware and software based authentication server which is able to communicate with a Microsoft Active Directory RADIUS™ server or equivalent.

In operation, the security infrastructure 400 provides multiple levels of hardware-based security, and comprises a rules-based hardware configuration for filtering and authenticating all inbound traffic into the data continuity system 100. According to an embodiment, all inbound and outbound traffic that comes via the Internet 20 or from an internal network 500 (FIG. 5) pass through the security hardware and the rules are applied to pass or block the traffic.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the public network infrastructure layer 410 is intended for inbound and outbound traffic over the Internet 20. The public network infrastructure layer 410 is configured to accept all inbound packets into the data continuity system 100 and to transmit all packets out of the data continuity system 100. According to an embodiment, the public network infrastructure layer 410 is implemented in the form of a router system comprising routing tables for the Internet domains and is configured to define where traffic should be transmitted. According to a further aspect, the public network infrastructure layer 410 is implemented in a fault tolerant configuration and provides a failover to a second device without any interruption of service and controls a secondary backup Internet connection for handling the traffic.

As depicted in FIG. 4, traffic from the public network infrastructure layer 410 is passed or handled by the security layer infrastructure 420. The security layer infrastructure 420 is configured to provide border control and security filtering. According to an embodiment, the security layer infrastructure 420 determines traffic to be allowed to pass through into the data continuity system 100 and traffic to be blocked or discarded from passing through to the data continuity system 100, based on one or more rule settings. According to an embodiment, the security layer infrastructure 420 is implemented in the form of a “Router” or “Firewall” device and is configured to provide intrusion detection controls, spam management and filtering, and virus containment and elimination functions. According to another aspect, the security layer infrastructure 420 is implemented in a redundant configuration to provide failover to a secondary standby system with no interruption. Once the traffic has been reviewed and allowed to pass by the security layer infrastructure 420, it is passed to the authentication infrastructure layer 430.

The authentication infrastructure layer 430 is configured to pass or route the traffic from the security layer infrastructure 420 based on a set of rules to a resource or module in the data continuity system 100 via the internal network 150 (FIG. 1). (The internal network 150 according to an embodiment is described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 5.) The authentication infrastructure layer 430 may be implemented in both software and hardware. According to an embodiment, the authentication infrastructure layer 430 is configured to function in conjunction with the security layer infrastructure 420 to control a network within the internal network 150 for the traffic through a virtual network configuration table, i.e. VLAN's. According to another aspect, the authentication infrastructure layer 430 is configured to function as an “authentication server” for remote access to the virtual machine (VM) servers 620, which are described in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.

According to another aspect, the authentication infrastructure layer 430 functions as a gateway between the security layer infrastructure 420 and the network definition 750 (FIG. 7) which runs on the control platform 700 (FIG. 7) as described in more detail below. According to an embodiment, the authentication infrastructure layer 430 is configured to process remote users based on their current and active credentials which are stored on the control platform 700 (FIG. 7), the network definitions module 750 (FIG. 7), and the software application components 180 (FIG. 1). The authentication infrastructure layer 430 is configured to manage communication between the above components and authenticates the communication to ensure that it is valid and appropriate, and then authorizes the security layer infrastructure 420 to provide access to the appropriate client private network in the internal network 150 in the data continuity system 100.

Reference is next made to FIG. 5, which shows the internal network or infrastructure 150 according to an embodiment of the invention. The internal network is indicated by reference 500 in FIG. 5 and according to an embodiment comprises a shared network infrastructure 510 and a private network infrastructure 520. According to an embodiment, the shared network infrastructure 510 is implemented using a network layer 2 switch configuration. The private network infrastructure 520 is implemented using a network VLAN capable switch. The private network infrastructure 520 comprises a plurality of VLAN's and according to an embodiment, a private VLAN is configured for each client. In operation, the internal network 500, and the private VLAN's provide the capability for a multitude of clients to run on the shared hardware infrastructure 140 (FIG. 1) and the networking infrastructure 120 (FIG. 1), while maintaining complete security and separation between each client.

According to another aspect, the internal network 150 includes a management network. The management network runs on the same infrastructure and is configured to provide the data continuity system 100 with access and the capability to interact with each of the client networks and servers directly from a centralized location. According to an embodiment, the management network is configured as a VLAN and provides communication with each of the client VLAN's 520. However, to ensure security, each of the VLAN's cannot communicate directly with the management VLAN.

Reference is next made to FIG. 6, which shows a hardware virtualization layer 600 according to an embodiment of the invention. The hardware virtualization layer 600 resides within the hardware infrastructure 140 (FIG. 1) of the system 100 and is configured according to an embodiment to provide the functionality to run a very large number of client environments and servers within virtualized instances. According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization layer 600 is configured to provide multiple levels of redundancy and flexibility when deploying or modifying client servers or networks.

According to an embodiment and as depicted in FIG. 6, the hardware virtualization layer 600 comprises a hardware virtualization control 610 and a hardware virtualization platform 620. The hardware virtualization control 610 is configured to manage the client environments within a virtualized structure. According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization layer 600 is configured to perform disk assignment and usage, networking assignment and management, and resource allocation, such as memory, CPU and other allocations.

According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization control 610 is configured to manage allocation of resources in the hardware virtualization platform 620. The resources for allocation include disk storage, memory and CPU and has a direct relation to the control of the virtualized environment instances. According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization platform 620 is configured to have direct control over the hardware resources such as disk, memory and CPU (without much regard for the configuration of them), i.e. the hardware virtualization platform 620 comprises the responsible mechanism in the data continuity system 100 for communicating with the hardware layer.

According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization control 610 is implemented with IBM xSeries Servers and a VMWare Virtual Center, or any hardware platform capable of natively supporting virtualized instances and corresponding software or platform designed to run a mass number of virtual machines (VM's) on a single device (i.e. “one physical box”). According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization platform 620 is implemented using IBM xSeries Servers and VMWare ESX Server Software. According to an embodiment, the hardware virtualization layer 600 is configured to support approximately 4000 clients configured with hardware resources. The particular implementation details will be within the understanding of one skilled in the art.

Reference is next made to FIG. 7, which shows a control platform according to an embodiment of the invention and indicated generally by reference 700. As will be described in more detail below, the control platform 700 is configured according to an embodiment to provide the following functions for the data continuity system 100: an interface function, a definition function, a control function, a reporting function, a logging function and an alerting function. According to an embodiment, the control platform 700 provides an interface for clients and the capability to directly call hardware and software components within the data continuity system 100 based on user requests. According to another embodiment, the control platform 700 includes a rules-based mechanism, which allows a user to configure a data continuity process by performing a “Readiness Assessment” survey or audit.

The functionality and features associated with the control platform 700 are summarized in Table I as shown below:

TABLE I Control Platform Portal Server Website Entrance Client Audit/Readiness Assessment (710) Data Collection Point Contact Network Server Archive Primary Management Logging Definition Definition Definition Definition Support Enablement Sections Reporting (720) (730) (740) (750) (760) (770) (780) Section Capability #1 Storing/Searching Audit Authentication Remote Server Archive Capability (722) Logging Control (742) Access Creation Creation Enablement (782) (732) (752) (762) (772) Section Capability #2 Interpretation Action Alert Control Replication Server Archive Capability Control (724) Monitor (744) (754) Validation Storage (784) (734) (764) (774) Section Capability #3 Recording (726) Server Control (766) Section Capability #4 Display (728) References in Table I correspond to references or like elements in FIG. 7.

As shown in FIG. 7, the control platform 700 comprises the following modules; a client readiness assessment audit module 710, a data reporting module 720, a logging and audit module 730, a contact definition module 740, a network definition module 750, a server definition module 760, an archive definition module 770, and a support enablement module 780. According to an embodiment, aspects of the control platform 700 are implemented and configured in the form of a user interface which is accessed via the portal 170 (FIG. 1).

According to an embodiment, the client audit and readiness assessment module 710 is configured as an online tool that collects client server and network information using, for example, an interactive survey form or questionnaire which is presented to the user via the portal 170. The control platform 700 includes one or more processes that process the collected data and generate a server and network configuration for the user. According to an embodiment, the client audit and readiness assessment is accessed through a web browser (e.g. MS Internet Explorer) online at the portal 170.

The data reporting module 720 is configured for data collection and client reporting. According to an embodiment, the data reporting module 720 comprises a storing and searching engine 722, an interpretation and analysis engine 724, a recording and archiving engine 726, and a display and report engine 728.

The storing and searching engine 722 is configured to provide live or instantaneous feedback on the status of the replication data for a client within the data continuity system 100, for example, via the interface in the portal 170 (FIG. 1). According to another aspect, the storing and searching engine 722 is configured to allow a user to search both current and historical data, i.e. data that has been processed over time, for example, replicated data for MS Exchange server over the past 12 hours is 12345 GB.

The interpretation and analysis engine 724 is configured with a set of intelligent business rules that are designed to interpret the replication data that has been stored, i.e. archived, and report back the status of the data to the end user client. According to an embodiment, the interpretation and analysis engine 724 is configured to interpret the business rules through calculations that are designed to compare the data that is on the primary client server(s) 14 (FIG. 1) with the replication servers running on the hardware virtualization layer 140 (FIG. 1). An exemplary report may comprise: “MS Exchange server is OK and 100% in sync with the primary server”.

The recording and archiving engine 726 is configured to record the results generated by the interpretation and analysis engine 724, which can be very important for clients and companies that require documented validations that the services were functioning properly at specific periods of time. According to an embodiment, the recording and archiving engine 726 is responsive to a request through the storing and searching engine 722. An exemplary data output from recording and archiving engine 726 may comprise: “MS Exchange server is OK and 100% in sync on Dec. 31, 2007 with the primary server”.

The display and report engine 728 is configured to provide an immediate visual representation to the client about the status of their replication servers. According to an embodiment, the display engine 728 is responsive to the interpretation engine 724 and displays a green, yellow or red indicator for each replica server. For example, a green indicator, e.g. a “green light” indicates that the replica server for the MS Exchange server is in sync with the client production server 14 (FIG. 1).

The logging and audit module 730 is configured for audit data collection and monitoring. According to an embodiment, the logging and audit module 730 comprises an audit logging engine 732 and an action monitoring engine 734.

The audit logging engine 732 is configured to log and record all actions with the portal 170 for the data continuity system 100. It will be appreciated that this provides a SaaS (Software as a Service) 70 Type II compliant system process. According to an aspect, the logged data/actions includes changes to contact data, server data, control systems and audits. Exemplary data generated by the audit logging engine 732 may take the following form: “Administrator Geminare Admin, logged into this account on Jan. 15, 2008 at 3:33 pm and updated the address information”.

The action monitoring engine 734 is configured to provide a SaaS 70 Type II compliant system and documentation concerning the state of the server systems in the hardware virtualization platform 620 (FIG. 6) at specific times. According to an embodiment, all changes of server states are monitored and recorded in an action log. According to another aspect, the action monitoring engine 734 is configured to provide intelligent processing of the server state information in order to inform the users of the server and any corrective action which should be taken. Exemplary data generated by the action monitoring engine 734 may take the following form: “MS Exchange server state was changed from Paused to Replicating at 3:34 pm on Jan. 13, 2008 by Geminare Admin user”.

The contact definition module 740 is configured to provide notification to the responsible parties. According to an embodiment, the contact definition module 740 comprises an authorization control engine 742 and an alert control engine 744.

According to an embodiment, the authorization control engine 742 is configured to capture data for users that have access and/or authorization to control and/or manage the replication servers 620 (FIG. 6). This provides a mechanism to ensure that only authorized users have the ability to manipulate the control states of the server systems. Exemplary data generated by the authorization control engine 742 may take the following form: “Administrator #1 has access to MS Exchange server start and stop status”.

According to an embodiment, the alert control engine 744 is configured to work in conjunction with the authorization control engine 742 to provide the data continuity system 100 with the capability to alert and notify the appropriate users of system state changes. Exemplary data generated by the alert control engine 744 may take the following form: “Administrator #1 is accessible at geminareadmin@geminare.org and via SMS at 416-555-1212”.

The network definition module 750 is configured to provide network setup and remote access functions. According to an embodiment, the network definition module 750 comprises a remote access engine 752 and a server control engine 754.

According to an embodiment, the remote access engine 752 is configured to connect the client network 16 (FIG. 1) to the data continuity system 100 in order to provide remote access. The required controls, access information, authentication and setup are defined according to the client readiness assessment audit 710 (as described above) and utilized by the remote access engine 752 to configure the connection. Exemplary connection data includes IPSec IP, Encryption Key and Layer information.

According to an embodiment, the replication engine 754 is configured to replicate active data from the connected client network 16 (FIG. 1) to the replication server(s) in the hardware layer 140 (FIG. 1), for example, in real-time utilizing block level replication techniques. According to an embodiment, the replication parameters are defined in the network definitions module 750 and comprise compression types, timing and locations, for example, “2:1 Compression”, “Transfer data only after 9 pm” and “Transfer to location c:/spool”.

The server definition module 760 is configured to define, i.e. create, replication servers on the hardware virtualization platform 620 (FIG. 6) in the hardware infrastructure 140 (FIG. 1) according to a server definition. The replication server(s) are configured to replicate or mirror corresponding servers 14 on the client system 10 (FIG. 1). According to an embodiment, the server definition module 760 comprises a server creation engine 762, a server validation engine 764, and a server control engine 766.

According to an embodiment, the server creation engine 762 is configured to create replication server(s) on the hardware virtualization platform 620, based on a server definition that is created or generated by the client readiness assessment audit 710 (FIG. 7) as described above. An exemplary server definition generated by the client readiness assessment audit 710 may take the following form: “MS Exchange running 2003, on a Windows 2003 Server with 5 GB of RAM, 2×50 GB hard drives”.

According to an embodiment, the server validation engine 764 is configured to take the information that was entered in the server definition module 760 (server creation engine 762) and process the information through one or more defined setup rules. The operation of the server validation engine 764 serves to ensure that a valid and appropriate server creation is performed for the hardware virtualization platform 620. According to an embodiment, the server validation engine 764 looks for matching server configuration, version and setup information with pre-defined configuration data to ensure a match is made within reasonable variations.

According to an embodiment, the server control engine 766 sets up a control system for each of the replication servers after the server creation (762) and server validation (764) operations are performed. According to an embodiment, the control system is configured to allow the replication process to be paused, started, stopped, imaged, rebuilt, run in a failover state, failed back, etc. It will be appreciated that the control system provides a mechanism for a client to control their system after creation. An exemplary control system configuration comprises: MS Exchange server is setup to Pause, Replication or Failover state.

The archive definition module 770 is configured to provide a mechanism for defining archive control systems. According to an embodiment, the archive definition module 770 comprises an archive creation engine 772 and an archive storage engine 774.

According to an embodiment, the archive creation engine 772 is configured to generate an archive process to automatically archive data out of the active system (i.e. replication servers) to an archive system. The archive process is based on the archive definition, which according to an embodiment is based on data entered and/or generated by the client readiness assessment audit module 710 (described above). According to an embodiment, the archive process defines an information level and time-line at which data should be archived which is balanced or factored against the data management capability of the system. An exemplary archive process comprises all data on MS Exchange server 001 to be archived to database backup if older than 30 days.

According to an embodiment, the archive storage engine 774 is configured to define a retention and control policy or process for the archived data. According to an embodiment, the retention and control policy is based on information from the client readiness assessment audit module 710 and defines how long the archived data should be kept and how much data should be kept. According to an embodiment, the portal 170 (FIG. 1) includes a component configured to allow a user to directly retrieve data from archive storage.

The support enablement module 780 is configured to provide a self support system for a client. According to an embodiment, once the server data and preferences have been entered through the client readiness assessment audit module 710, the support enablement module 780 is configured to provide a support platform for client users to test and troubleshoot their configured system on the data continuity system 100. According to an embodiment, the support enablement module 780 comprises a capability enablement engine 782 and a capability control engine 784.

According to an embodiment, the capability enablement engine 782 is configured to allow an administrator to define the level of and access to built-in tools for each user account. An exemplary definition for user self-support comprises: user is able to test and see if the VPN network is connected by sending ICMP packets through a VPN tunnel to the replication servers on the data continuity system 100 as defined in the readiness assessment network definition.

According to an embodiment, the capability control engine 784 is configured to allow a user to perform their own tests unassisted through the portal interface 170 (FIG. 1). The tests as defined by the capability enablement engine 782 can range from VPN based tests, to services tests and network responses. According to an aspect, the tests can be anything from VPN, services or network responses and are executed in real-time based on the definition in the capability enablement engine 782.

The software application components module or layer is indicated by reference 180 in FIG. 1 and according to an embodiment of the invention comprises the applications that run directly on the virtualized server instances in the hardware virtualization platform 620 (FIG. 6). The application components typically comprise mail server applications, database server applications, file server applications and/or directory servers. Exemplary application components include Microsoft Exchange server, Microsoft SQL server and Microsoft IIS server. According to another aspect, the software application components module 180 is configured to process incoming data once it has passed through all the security and operational layers in the data continuity system 100, i.e. data that has been replicated through the data continuity system 100, as described above. According to another aspect, the application components represent the actual server applications that are processing the data for the users and are typically responsible for distributing the data as well. According to another aspect, the hardware virtualization platform 620 (FIG. 6) is configured to run multiple instances of the application component(s). According to an embodiment, the data continuity system 100 does not replicate the application layer within the server environment only the data that this layer uses and as such the software application components layer 180 is utilized in the delivery of the information from the client servers 14 (FIG. 1) and the replication servers 620 (FIG. 6) in the hardware infrastructure layer 140 (FIG. 1). According to another embodiment, the application components module 180 includes a data replication engine 182 or an application failover control engine 184 in order to provide the capability to “swap out” a replication engine.

The archive components module is indicated by reference 190 in FIG. 1 and according to an embodiment is configured to archive data from the data continuity system 100 to a separate system (not shown). For example, once data has been collected, processed (e.g. replicated) and utilized within the data continuity system 100, it may need to be archived out into a separate system, for example, based on criteria that are defined according to the client readiness assessment audit module 710 (FIG. 7) as described above. According to an embodiment, the archive components module 190 comprises a hardware and software platform that is responsible for directly archiving data out of the live system into a separate hardware platform for long term storage. According to an embodiment, the archive component module 190 is implemented with a hardware component utilizing a SAN™ storage device, or other type of shared storage environment hardware device or platform, and a software component comprising ArcServe™ archiving software or other type of backup/archiving software solution. According to an embodiment, the archive module 190 is enabled for duplication and backup of the entire existing environment configured for the user, or enabled for duplication or copying of just the data within the environment for archival purposes. According to another aspect, the archive module 190 is configured to copy data in a live and “hot” state from one physical system to the next for an “internal” high availability capability. It will be appreciated that by providing the capability to image an entire environment configured for a user (and duplicate it in real-time), the data continuity system 100 is able to create exact archival and compliant duplicates of client environments in a secure and auditable environment. According to another aspect, the archive process can be audited and/or managed via the portal interface 170 (FIG. 1). According to another embodiment, the archive process can be audited and/or managed via the portal interface 170 (FIG. 1).

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Certain adaptations and modifications of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the presently discussed embodiments are considered to be illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for providing data continuity for a plurality of client systems, each of the plurality of client systems including one or more client servers, said system comprising: a networking layer having a communication interface and a security infrastructure, said communication interface being configured to receive data from the plurality of client systems, and said security infrastructure being configured to authorize communication with the plurality of client systems; said communication interface being configured to handle one or more client environments associated with the plurality of client systems; a hardware infrastructure for providing a plurality of replication servers; a private network infrastructure configured for providing a private network configuration for each of the clients and said private network configuration including one or more of said plurality of replication servers corresponding to the one or more client servers associated with each of the clients; a replication engine configured to run on one or more of the client servers for replicating data in real-time from one or more of the client servers to the corresponding replication servers; a failover engine configured for switching one or more of said plurality of replication servers with the corresponding one or more client servers in response to a failover event.
 2. The system as claimed in claim 1, further including a portal configured for providing a user associated with the one or more client systems with access to said private network and the corresponding replication servers with the client servers remaining online.
 3. The system as claimed in claim 2, further including a mechanism configured to receive inputs entered by the one or more users at said portal and to generate a replication configuration for said hardware infrastructure.
 4. The system as claimed in claim 1, further including a control platform comprising one or more of a configuration module, a reporting module, a logging module, a network definition module, a server definition module and an archive definition module.
 5. The system as claimed in claim 4, wherein said configuration module includes a rules-based mechanism for generating a configuration definition associated with one of the one or more client systems, and rules-based mechanism being configured to be responsive to one or more inputs from the user associated with the client system.
 6. The system as claimed in claim 1, further including an applications module, said application module being configured to run one or more application programs on some of the data received from one of the client systems, and said one or more application programs corresponding to application programs running on the client system. 